The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notice to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur following a petition seeking his disqualification for allegedly fabricating information regarding a plot of property.
A two-member bench, consisting of Sindh Member Nisar Ahmad Durrani and Balochistan Member Shah Muhammad Jatoi, heard the plea filed against Gandapur with the election body. The ECP then postponed the matter until March 26.
Following the hearing, the bench issued a two-page brief order notifying the newly minted KP chief minister, who was elected from his home seat of Dera Ismail Khan.
The petitioner, Muhammad Kafeel, claimed in his appeal that 735-kanals of land in Mouzah Girah Muhabbat and Muzah Rohri, Kulachi, district DI Khan, were temporarily transferred in the name of Gandapur, although Asif Khan was the real owner of the property.
He stated in the petition that, under the assurance granted by Gandapur, he was the apparent owner, whereas Khan was the sole and absolute owner of the land. However, the KP chief minister was meant to return it on Khan's instruction.
The petitioner claimed that in liability forms provided for the year 2020 and legally publicized, Gandapur reportedly showed the acquisition of a Toyota property Cruiser, YB-777, with cash acquired from the sale of 735 kanal property. He further claimed that, due to the incorrect declaration, Gandapur couldn't qualify to serve as a member of the provincial assembly.
The ruling, signed by ECP Sindh members, stated, "We have heard preliminary arguments that need to be considered on merits. The office will issue a notice to respondent No. 5 (Ali Amin Gandapur) on the date specified by the District Election Commissioner. DEC's service report must be sent to this office before the deadline. The case will come up on March 26, 2024."
Gandapur was elected to the KP Assembly from PK-113, DI Khan, as a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independent candidate in the recent general elections, and he was later chosen as the province's chief minister. Imran Khan, the party's founder and chairman, chose him for the position.